Posts by Abigail Zenner

Abigail Zenner, is a former lobbyist turned communications specialist. She specializes in taking technical urban planning jargon and turning it into readable blog posts. When she’s not nerding out about urban planning, transportation, and American History, you may find her teaching a fitness class. Her blog posts represent her personal views only.

Federal law doesn’t define bikeshare programs as public transportation, which means they aren’t eligible for the sustained funding that most transit is. If a new bill becomes a law, that would change.
Keep reading…

A number of cities, including DC, are rethinking parking minimums, or rules that require new buildings to have a certain amount of parking. This video from Ottawa explains why parking minimums can be harmful.
Keep reading…

An “Idaho Stop” is a law in some states that allows bicyclists to treat stop signs as if they were yield signs. DC Councilmember Mary Cheh recently proposed adopting the law in DC, but some people say it would turn traffic law on its head.
Keep reading…

Klingle Road runs from Porter Street to Cortland Place in Woodley Park and Cleveland Park, but it’s been abandoned for years. The District has been working with residents to decide whether Klingle should reopen as a road or a trail, and the decision is finally in: we’re getting a new trail.
Keep reading…

One of the biggest dangers of riding a bike is drivers who pass way too close. This video uses people who clearly don’t get the concept of personal space to illustrate what a safe passing distance is and is not.
Keep reading…

The pope will mess up your commute, but he’ll be comfortable in Brookland. The streetcar may actually carry passengers this year. A White House staffer died cycling for a cure; the Secret Service made cancer stricken children cry; and more in today’s Breakfast Links.
If you have to get to work when the pope is here, you may need multiple backup plans. Biking? Pay attention… Keep reading…

When drivers illegally stop in a bike lane, people on bikes have to ride into traffic to get around the obstacle. It’s annoying, but even worse it can put them in danger when they merge into oncoming traffic. The Arlington Police Department tweeted this handy infographic to help drivers understand if they can stop in a bike lane. Keep reading…

Following stunning revelations that some people at WMATA knew the tracks were out of alignment near Smithsonian Metro a month before a train derailed at the same spot, the WMATA Board released a statement of outrage. But the board only focused on blaming the people immediately responsible and not the culture and leadership that led to the situation. Keep reading…

On this episode of “Last Week Tonight,” comedian John Oliver explains how DC does not have a vote in Congress and why it should become a state. Along the way he points out a number of hypocritical statements from Congressmen.
Keep reading…

This heat map of DC surfaced on Twitter on Tuesday, but not because people thought it had interesting information. It was actually just the opposite: nobody was sure what the map is trying to show. Any ideas?
Keep reading…